2 Chronicles 7
1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from the sky and burned all the offerings and sacrifices [that were on the altar], and the glorious radiance of Yahweh filled the temple.
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and burned up the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.
2 The radiance [was extremely bright], with the result that the priests could not enter the temple of Yahweh.
The priests couldn't enter the Temple of the Lord because the Lord's glory filled the Lord's Temple.
3 When all the Israeli people [who were there] saw the fire coming down and the glory of Yahweh above the temple, they prostrated themselves with their faces touching the ground. They worshiped and thanked Yahweh, singing, “Yahweh is always good to us; he faithfully loves us forever.”
When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord in the Temple, they knelt down and bowed their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is good! His trustworthy love lasts forever!”
4 Then the king and all the people who were there dedicated the temple to Yahweh by offering more sacrifices to him. King Solomon gave 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats to be sacrificed.
Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord.
King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. In this way the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God.
6 The priests stood in their positions, and the other descendants of Levi stood in their positions holding the musical instruments [to praise] Yahweh, instruments that King David had caused to be made for praising Yahweh and thanking him. [They sang], “He faithfully loves us forever.” Facing the other descendants of Levi the priests stood, blowing their trumpets, while all the Israeli people were standing [and listening].
The priests stood at their posts, and the Levites too, with the musical instruments that King David had made for giving praise, and which David had used for praise. They sang, “For his trustworthy love lasts forever!” Opposite them the priests blew trumpets, and all the Israelites stood up.
7 Solomon dedicated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple. Then he gave offerings to be completely burned there along with the fat of the animals to be sacrificed to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. The priests burned them there in the courtyard because in addition to those things there were offerings of grain, with the result that there was not enough space on the bronze altar to burn all those sacrifices.
After that Solomon dedicated the middle of the courtyard in front of the Temple of the Lord. There he presented burnt offerings and the fat of the friendship offerings, since the bronze altar he had made couldn't hold all the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the offerings.
8 Solomon [and the other people] celebrated the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters for seven days. There was a huge group of people who celebrated with him. Some of them came from [as far away as] Lebo-Hamath [in the far north] and the border of Egypt [in the far south].
Then over the next seven days Solomon observed the feast with all of Israel, a huge gathering that came from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of Egypt.
9 On the eighth/next day they gathered again [to worship Yahweh]. They had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters for seven days.
On the eighth day they held a final assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven days, and the feast another seven days.
10 Then on the next day Solomon sent them to their homes. They were very joyful because of all the good things that Yahweh had done for David and Solomon and for all his Israeli people.
On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home. They were still celebrating and really happy for the goodness that the Lord had shown to David, for Solomon, and for his people Israel.
11 Solomon’s [workers] finished building the temple and Solomon’s palace. And Solomon finished doing everything else that he had planned to do.
After Solomon had finished the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, having successfully accomplished everything he'd wanted to do for the Temple of the Lord and for his own palace,
12 Then Yahweh appeared to him one night [in a dream] and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this temple to be the place where my people will offer sacrifices to me.
the Lord appeared to him at night and told him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a Temple of sacrifice.
13 “When I prevent any rain from falling, or when I command locusts to eat all the crops, or when I send a plague among my people,
If I were to close shut the sky so there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send a plague among my people,
14 if the people who belong to me humble themselves and pray, and request me to help them, and if they turn away from their sinful behavior, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive them for having sinned and I will cause them to prosper again.
and if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and return to me, and turn away from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.
15 I [SYN] will see them and I [SYN] will hear them when they pray to me in this place.
Now my eyes will be open, and my ears will pay attention to the prayers offered in this place,
16 I have chosen and have (set apart/dedicated) this temple in order that people may worship [MTY] me there forever. I will always watch over [MTY] it and protect [IDM] it.
for I have chosen and consecrated this Temple so that I may be honored there forever. I will always watch over it and take care of it for it really matters to me.
17 “And as for you, if you obey me as David your father did, and if you do all that I command you to do, and obey all my laws and decrees,
As for you, if you follow my ways as your father David did, doing everything I've told you to do, and if you keep my laws and regulations,
18 I will make sure that your descendants will always be kings, which is what I promised to David your father, saying, ‘Some of your descendants will always be the kings of Israel.’
then I will make sure your reign is secure. I made this agreement with your father David, telling him, ‘You will always have a descendant to rule over Israel.’
19 “But if you Israelis turn away from me and disobey the decrees and commands that I have given to you, and you start to worship other gods,
But if you turn away and ignore the laws and the commandments I have given you, and if you go and serve and worship other gods,
20 I will cause you to be expelled from this land that I have given to you, and I will abandon this temple that I have set apart to be the place where people should worship me. I will cause it to be despised and ridiculed by people of all nations.
then I will pull you up from the land I gave you. I will banish from my presence this Temple I have dedicated to my honor, and I will make it an object lesson of ridicule among the nations.
21 Although this temple is now greatly respected, when that happens, all the people who pass by will be appalled, and they will say, ‘Why has Yahweh done terrible things like this to this country and to this temple?’
This Temple that now is so respected will become so spoiled that passers-by will say, ‘Why has the Lord acted in such a way to this land and this Temple?’
22 And others will reply, ‘It happened because they rejected Yahweh, the God to whom their ancestors belonged, the one who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they have been worshiping other gods and trying to please them. And that is why Yahweh has caused them to experience all these disasters.’”
The answer will come, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have clung to other gods, worshiping them and serving them. That's why the Lord has brought all this trouble upon them.’”
